Secret Handshakes Within the World of the Premiership

Paul Wilson from The Guardian newspaper warns that there’s danger ahead for West Ham after the signing of Tevez and Mascherano.

As always, it’s another thought provoking piece from The Guardian. The article includes some revealing information including a quote from Tevez from a few months ago about Chelsea’s advances, Tevez wearing a Man United shirt and a possible new trend in terms of future transfer signings where the player’s contracts, and livelihood, are owned by investment groups instead of clubs.

To me, though, it makes me wonder what revelations we’ll learn in the future about the underbelly of football clubs and all of the business behind it. Whether it’s the Russian mafia claims against Abramovich at Chelsea, or the “something is fishy” remarks about West Ham, it’ll be interesting to discover what is really going on behind the scenes. What gentlemen agreements are being made? What secret handshakes are we not seeing?

For us, the public, all we see is what’s on the pitch. Sure, we can enjoy it, but some of us want to know more. In time, I’m sure we’ll find out.

Late breaking news. David Gill from Manchester United said this morning on BBC’s Sportsweek program that they turned down opportunities to add Tevez and Mascherano to Man United. Read the story here, but to me, it sounds like United are making excuses for missing out on the signings of two of the most promising young players in the world. I’m sure Gill is under pressure to respond to United fans worldwide who must be wondering how the two Argentines slipped through their grasps.

About The Author

Publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris founded the site in 2005. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who was born and raised in Wales, has lived in Florida since 1984, and supported Swansea City since 1979. Last but not least, he got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.

One Response

jasonSeptember 3, 2006

From what I understand of the transfer, MSI retains ownership of the players and will receive the majority of any transfer fee received for these players if they are sold again (I’ve read as much as 90%). So, essentially, this is a glorified loan deal, and I don’t see why clubs like United or Chelsea would want to take part in such a deal.